K. just had a go at my firebird. Sigh. I decided to coat the postcard with a mixture of water and glue to give it that lacquer look. Well, don't ever get origami paper wet. Ever. Ever! The bird is okay, but the origami paper I used as the background warped like a mother. Last night I managed to salvage the bird, but now I'm stuck with the super-tedious task of trimming the edges of my little zhar-ptitsa. K. has offered to do the most fiddly parts of it tonight. Thank goodness one of us likes that sort of stuff.

It's supposed to be seven degrees Celsius today, which means that I finally got my butt out of bed before 6.30 and took my new running shoes for a spin. Every other runner in the neighborhood had the same idea and was out for his/her final outdoor run until March. It's an odd club to belong to, this morning runners' club, everyone nods as they sprint by everyone else, "Yes, you're crazy too." People who go to the gym at 6.30 am are also crazy, but it's not my type of nuts, too fratty. -Zh.